Seal for swivel joints



June 13, 1950 D. c. WARREN 2,511,386

SEAL FOR\SWIVEL JINTS Filed Deo. 5, 1945 l EF1 W -f-/e A la /4- 60 l lll 71. es/ zo i IN V EN TOR.

Day! e Warren MAJ/MM @Patented Jnne 13, 1950 UNITED STAT SEAL FOR SWIVELJ OINTS VDoyle C. Warren, Monrovia, Calif., assigner to Chiksan Company,Brea, Calif.,.a corporation of California Application December 3, 1945,Serial No. 632,567

This invention has to do with a seal for swivel joints and it is ageneral object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensive,eiective and dependable seal operable to check the entrance of foreignmatter into a joint and to also check the escape of lubricant, or thelike, that may be employed in the joint.

The seal that I have provided by my present invention is useful,generally, in swivel or rotating joints, or the like. However, it isparticularly applicable to such constructions handling steam or like hotfluids where ordinary packing or sealing rings do not worksatisfactorily. The usual packing ring fails to work satisfactorily in asituation such as I have referred to due to the fact that packingmaterial is aiected by the temperatures involved, and due to the factthat there is often considerable change in the size and shape of partsdue to shrinkage and expansion. When a packing material such as rubberor rubber-like composition is employed, and the resilience of thematerial is depended upon to eiect the seal, the temperatures involvedusually act on the material to weaken or destroy it so that thestructure fails after a very short period of use. On the other hand,when so-called steam packings are used, that is, packings formed mainlyof asbestos or like materials that are not resilient, considerablediliiculty is experienced in keeping the parts tight when shrinkage andexpansion takes place. It is a general object of my present invention toprovide a packing ring or sealing ring which is so formed and whichinvolves a resilient element making it possible to form the packing bodyof the ring out of heat resisting material such as asbestos compositionand yet maintain a ring having life which compensates for shrinkage andexpansion.

Another object of this invention is to provide a seal or packing ring ofthe general character referred to Operable between two members, oneoperating within the other, so that the sealing engagement is effectedby bearing engagement in a radial direction as distinguished from anaxial direction.

Another object of my invention is to provide a packing assemblyinvolving a body of packing material and an expansion ring which ring isextremely simple and inexpensive of manufacture, being in the form of asimple split wire ring.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of a typicalpreferred form and application of the invention, throughout whichdescription reference is made to the. accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side View of a. swing or swivel joint embodying the presentinvention, a part of the joint being broken away to show in section.Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed cross sectional view of the packing bodythat I have provided, showing it in its original or formed shape, beingthe shape that it is in before being arranged in a joint. Fig. 3 is aside view of the expander ring shown apart from the .packing body,showing the ring in its original or expanded position in full lines andindicating it in its working or collapsed position in dotted lines, andFig, 4 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion of the structure shownin Fig. 1, showing the structure that I have provided In workingposition with the expander ring in place acting on the packing body.

The structure of the present invention can be used in varioussituations, for instance, it isap plicable, generally, to joints orconnections where two parts are connected to turn one relative to theother. A typical example of an application of the present invention is aswivel joint such as may involve an L-section A and a nipple section B.In the structure shown in the drawings the L-section has an enlarged endI0 formed with a socket II and the nipple section B has an inner endportion I2 which extends into and is rotatably supported in the socket II. In the structure shown the L-section has a fluid passage I3 thatcommunicates with a corresponding uid passage I4 in the nipple section.The outer end portion I5 of the nipple projects beyond the end of partI0 and is provided with means for making connection with a conduit suchas a pipe or the like. In the case illustrated the part I5 is internallythreaded at I6 to receive a pipe or like element.

The sections A and B are held together for relative rotation. In thecase illustrated two series of balls I1 are provided to operate inregistering grooves I8 in the socket II and the outer wall of the nipplepart I2.

In the particular structure illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings apressure sealing ring 20 is provided between the inner end portion ofthe nipple section B and the bottom of the socket II in the part I0 ofthe L-section so that steam or other fluid handled .by the joint issealed away from the region in which the balls II operate. Theparticular ring 20 shown is more fully descri-bed and claimed in mycopending application Serial No. 632,568. iled December 3, 1945,entitled Swing joint for handling steam or the It is preferred inpractice to provide a suitable clearance or chamber 2| between the outerwall of the nipple part I2 and the socket 4cross-sectional conguration.

' into the joint construction that I have thus far described. In theparticular case illustrated I have shown my construction applied betweenthe outer end portion of the socket Il and the nipple B at a pointintermediate the ends of the nipple or where the nipple parts I2 and I5join.

To accommodate the sealing or packing ring that I have provided Iestablish an annular chamber to carry the packing structure, whichchamber is preferably substantially square in In practice the desiredpacking chamber can be formed in various ways, that is, it can beestablished in either of the elements that are swivelly connected or itmay be partially formed in both such elements. In the case illustrated Ihave shown a groove or channel 30 formed in the outer wall of the nipplesection B at a point to occur opposite the outer end portion of thesocket II. The channel 30 is made to accommodate the packing ring and inthe case illustrated has a nat bottom 3| and spaced parallel radialsides 32.

The packing ring that I have provided involves, generally, two elements,a body C of packing material and an expander ring D. The body C ofpacking material may vary widely in composition or texture. However, forthe purpose of handling steam or like hot uids I prefer to employ apacking material formed primarily of asbestos or the like. The packingbody C may be advantageously formed of a mixture of asbestos andneoprene or polychloroprene in which the asbestos is the principalelement involved, while the neoprene serves primarily as a binder tohold the asbestos in a firm or solid body. By thus forming the packingbody C of asbestos or the like bound with a material such as neoprene itis possible to mold or form it into any desired shape and it ispreferred, when employing the construction that I have provided. to moldthe packing body into the form of a continuous ring having thecross-sectional configuration shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Tofacilitate the application of such ring to the groove 30 the ring may besplit so that it is a split ring and if a split is provided it ispreferred to make it at an angle, such as is indicated at 35 in Fig. 1.

The packing bony C formed in accordance with my invention involves twoconcentric ring portions, one located within the other, which rings arejoined by a radially disposed web portion. One of the rings ispreferably a permanent or fixed sealing ring while the other is a lipring against which a part of the structure operates or moves. In theparticular case illustrated the inner ring 40 of the packing body is thexed sealing ring, while the outer ring 4I is a lip ring.

The xed sealing ring 4D of the packing has a flat inner side 42 shapedand proportioned to seal or seat against the bottom 3| of the groove 30and it has ends 43 and 44, respectively. which engage and seat againstthe side walls 32 of the groove 30 to seal therewith.

The lip ring 4I of the packing body is designed to have some radialmovement and in its preferred form it has an outer end portion 50 in thenature of a lip having a flat sealing face 5I designed to bear againstthe part to be sealed. Inward of the lip the outer side of the lip ringis recessed or made concave at 52 and the inner side is recessed orgrooved at 53. These opposite recesses or grooves shape thecross-section of the lip ring so that it isreadily exed or movedradially and the recess or groove il acts as a retainer for the expanderring D, as will be hereinafter described.

The sealing surface 5I at the lip portion of the lip ring is preferablyflat and as the ring is initially formed it is pitched or inclinedsomewhat, as shown in Fig. 2, but whenI the ring is compressed intoplace, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the flat face 5I bears with pressureengagement against the wall of thc socket II in the L-section A.

The web portion of the packing body is joined to or projects from oneend of the sealing ring 40 and extends radially outward to join with orto the corresponding end of the lipvring 4I so that it joins with thelip ring at the end opposite the lip part 50. The web `portion 60 ispreferably proportioned so that the inner end of the lip ring to whichit joins is spaced somewhat from the wall of the socket I I so that theengagement between the packing and the wall of the socket is coniined tothe surface 5I formed and designed for that purpose.

In the preferred formation of the web 60 its outer side 60 bears on onewall or side 32 of the 'IISl groove 3D and, further, I prefer toproportion the lip ring 4I so that it extends or projects toward theother wall 32 but does not actually contact it. A supply space orclearance is provided between the lip portion 50 of the lip ring and thesaid otherl wall 32 of the grove 30 so that the outer or lip portion ofthe lip ring is free and unobstructed to be effectively moved intosealing engagement by the expander ring D.

To gain this relationship of parts the sealing ring 50 is made slightlylonger axially than the lip ring d I, as will be apparent from Figs. 2and 4 of the drawings.

The expander ring D is preferably a simple split spring wire ring formedof a metal that will not corrode under the operating conditionsencountered and formed of a metal having the desired spring orresilience so that the ring can be initially formed as shown in fullline's in Fig. 3 and can be collapsed to a position as indicated indotted lines shown in Fig. 3, where its ends are practically togetherand where it is accommodated between the rings 40 and 4I of the packingbody, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings. When the expander ringis in position in the packing body it is held in the groove 53 in thelip ring and due to its resilience it bears outwardly on the lip ring ofthe packing body and thus expands the surface 5I of the lip ring intopressure engagement with the wall of the socket I I.

With the construction that I have provided the packing body Ceffectively checks or seals against passage of material in eitherdirection between the nipple and the outer end portion of the socket II.The sealing ring 40 is seated in the bottom of the groove 30 and itsends 43 and M bear against the sides 32 of the groove to check passageof material in either direction under the packing body and the expanderring D urges the lip ring 4I of the packing body out so that the surface5I is maintained in pressure engagement with the wall of the socketpreventing passage of material in either direction at that point. Bylimiting the surface 5I in extent there is a minimum amount of frictionestablished between the sections A and B and by providing the expanderring D within the lip ring I eiiecto those skilled in the art and fallwithin thel scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A packing ring of the character described comprising only twoelements, one a unitary annular body of packing material having twoconcentric ring portions one within the other and both extending axiallyof the packing ring and both of substantially the same axial extent, therings being connected together at one end of thepacking by a radiallyextending web leaving each ring with a free axially projecting portion,the projecting end portion of the` outermost ring being thickened andhaving an outer sealing face inclined to the axis of the packing, andthe other element being an expansion ring confined between the rings ofthe body and normally engaging only the inner side of the outer ring ofthe body and bearing outwardly therein.

2. A packing ring of the character described comprising only two unitaryelements, one a singleY body of 'packing material having two concentricring portions one within the other and both extending axially of thepacking ring and both of substantially the same axial extent, the ringsbeing connected together at one end of the packing by a radiallyextending web leaving each ring with a free axially projecting portion,the projecting end portion of the outermost ring being thickened andhaving an outer sealing face` inclined to the axis of the packing, andthe other element being an expansion ring confined between the rings ofthe body and normally engaging only the inner side of the outer ring ofthe body and bearing outwardly in said outer ring, the inner and outerwalls of the outer ring of the body being concave so the thickened partof the said outer ring is freely movable radially, the concave innerportion of the said outer ring receiving and holding the expansion ringagainst axial movement relative to the body.

3. In a swivel connection two tubular elements connected for relativerotation and having axially opposed portions, one element having anaxial socket facing the other element and receiving a part of said otherelement, said parts of the other element having an annular channel thatis substantially rectangular in cross section and which opens outwardlyto face the wall of the socket, and a sealing means between the elementsand in said channel and including a generally rectangular bodyof packingoccupying the channel and having two substantially parallel axiallydisposed and radially spaced ring portions one an inner ring seated inand wholly occupying the bottom of the channel and the other an outerlip ring projecting from the channel to contact the wall of said socketand a web adjacent and bearing on one end of the groove and connectingthe ring portions at one end of the body, and a ring shaped resilientexpander confined between the rings and engaging only the lip ring tohold it in pressure engagement with said wall of the socket, the lipring having a free lip portion projecting axially from the expander andclosely approaching the other end of the groove to have workingclearance therewith and shaped to normally bear outwardly against thewall of the socket.

4. A uid handling conduit including, an outer tubular element with acentral axial bore entering it from one end and forming a socket, aninner tubular element with a portion round in cross section extendinginto the socket and having an end opposing the bottom of the socket,means mounting the said portion of the inner element in the socket torotate therein, the said portion of the inner element having an externalgroove substantially rectangular in cross sectional conguration andfacing the wall of the bore, an annular body of packing in the grooveand being substantially rectangular in general cross section, thebodyhaving an inner face seated on and completely occupying the bottom ofthe groove and having end portions with faces seated against the sidewalls of the groove, one of the said end portions of the body completelyoccupying one side wall of the groove, there being an axially extendingchannel entering the body of packing from one end and being concentricwith the body so the body has an annular axially projecting outersealing portion anchored to said end portion of the body and having afree portion movable radially into sealing engagement with the wall ,ofthe bore, and an expander ring in the channel of the body bearingoutwardly on the said outer sealing portion between the ends thereof andholding said free portion in engagement with the wall of the bore, theouter sealing portion being clear of the wall of the bore when it isanchored to said end portion of the body, said free portion of the ringbeing normally larger in diameter than the said bore to be in pressureengagement with the wall of the bore.

DOYLE C. WARREN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Allen et al Aug. 14, 1945

